In our kitchen planning post we talked about the wasted 6-7” of space between the range and sink. There just wasn’t enough space to put a cabinet or drawer unit there (well, maybe there would have been if we’d gone custom$$$).

So, we brainstormed a solution. Here’s one of T’s drawings of the spot sketched out as a cubby for trays/oven sheets/cupcake tins/cutting boards/anything that fits:

To do this, we used the extra length of toe kick we purchased with our Ikea cabinets as bottom and back pieces for the nook.

I used a combination of L and flat brackets to secure the pieces to the sink base.

Here’s what it looks like with the side panel.

And here’s what it looks like from across the room.

I notched the bottom of the side panel to fit behind the toe kick (when it’s attached later on).

Pretty cool solution, huh? Without this little cubby, we wouldn’t have a purposeful spot for storing those large, flat kitchen items. This is a very good thing—we use the cutting board at every single meal.

We like open/visible storage, so this works for us? What about you? Do you like seeing your stuff or hiding it away?